JOURNAL OF PURE APPLIED AND INDUSTRIAL PHYSICS

An International Open Free Access, Peer Reviewed Research Journal

www.physics-journal.org

ISSN 0976-5727 (Print)

ISSN 2319-8133 (Online)
Abbr:J. Pure Appl. & Ind. Phys.
2014, Vol.4(4): Pg.159-162

Bio-Compatibility of Zirconia (ZrO2) Ceramic Thin Films

S. Sakthivel, D. Saritha and V. Baskaran
Thin film Physics and Nano Science Laboratory,
PG and Research Department of Physics,
Rajah Serfoji Govt., College (Autonomous),
Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, INDIA.
(Received on: September 9, 2014)
ABSTRACT
Zirconia ceramics are bio-inert materials that are
compatible for biomedical field in deployment as implants for
humans. The different concentration of Zirconia thin films were
examined by Sol-gel technique. The class of ceramics used for
repair and replacement of diseased and damaged parts of
musculoskeletal systems are termed bio- ceramics.Bio-ceramics
range bio-compatibility from the ceramic oxides which are inert in
the body, to the extreme of resorbable materials which are
replaced by the materials which they are used to repair. Bio-inert
high strength materials do not release any toxic constituents, they
do not show positive interaction with living tissue. The deposited
films were subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning
Electron Microscopy (SEM).The mechanical behaviour of bioinert Zirconia ceramic thin films shows that bio-compatibility of
material.
Keywords: Alumina, Bio ceramics, spray pyrolysis, mechanical
properties, Bio-inert.

1. INTRODUCTION
The challenge for the materials
scientists is to develop new ceramics that
produce the most appropriate response that
the clinical situation demands. It has been
accepted that no foreign material placed

within a living body is completely

compatible. The only substances that
conform completely are those manufactured
by the body itself. No synthetic material can
be considered as being inert as all materials
will produce some sort of a response from
living tissue. These materials will be

Journal of Pure Applied and Industrial Physics Vol.4, Issue 4, 31 October, 2014, Pages (149-167)

160

S. Sakthivel, et al., J. Pure Appl. & Ind. Phys. Vol.4 (4), 159-162 (2014)

recognized as foreign and may initiate any

of a range of tissue responses. Bio ceramics
are an important subset of bio materials1.
The class of ceramics used for repair and
replacement of diseased and damaged parts
of musculoskeletal systems are termed bio
ceramics2. Bio ceramics range in
biocompatibility from the ceramic oxides,
which are inert in the body, to the other
extreme of resorbable materials by which are
eventually replaced by the materials which
they are used to repair. Bio ceramics are
now used in a number of different
applications throughout the body. They are
usually used to replace hard tissue in the
body like bone and teeth3. Bio inert
materials do not release any toxic
constituents but also do not show positive
interaction with living tissue.
In the present work, we first utilized
the preparation of Zirconia bio ceramics
using thin film techniques and their biocompatibility, mechanical properties and
applications are also discussed. However,
there is a growing trend toward bio materials
that are designed to produce a well-defined
interaction with the biological environment,
one obvious example being the bioactive
glasses, which stimulate the formation of
new bone4-6.
2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
2.1 Preparation of Zirconia Ceramics
Thin films of Zirconia (ZrO2)
Ceramics were obtained using the sol-gel
deposition technique from an aqueous
solution. Zirconia (ZrO2) and deionized
water were used as precursor solution7.
Using a hot plate the substrates were heated
at the deposition temperature. This

processing route consists of the above

mentioned 8 M Zirconia powder in absolute
ethanol and distilled water with the volume
ratio 1:3. Sol gel was formed after being
stirred at room temperature for ten minutes.
The substrate was dipped in the solution for
24 hours. A thin coating with white
Coloration appeared on the substrate. The
coated substrate was removed at the end of
deposition. After deposition, the films were
thermally treated at 8500C for 2hr in order to
remove organic residuals. The mechanical
behaviour of the sample was studied for
metal rod shape materials. The rod was
prepared by injecting alumina solution into
metal cylindrical / rectangular rod. The
metal rod was heated at 700 C, and then the
rod was cooled to room temperature
gradually.
2.2. Material Characteristics
Zirconia (ZrO2) is also a white
powder. Like alumina, it can be compressed
and sintered into a very strong ceramic.
Unlike
alumina,
its
wear-resistance
properties are not as good. Zirconia bio
ceramics do not have the high wear
resistance of alumina bio ceramics and are
not as widely used in hip joint applications.
Zirconia is a biomaterial that has a bright
future because of its high mechanical
strength and fracture toughness8. Zirconia
ceramics have several advantages over other
ceramic materials due to the transformation
toughening mechanisms operating in the
microstructure that can be manifested in
components made out of them. Zirconia
toughened alumina have both the properties
alumina and Zirconia and its used for joint
prosthesis.
However,
their
fracture
toughness and bending strength give them

Journal of Pure Applied and Industrial Physics Vol.4, Issue 4, 31 October, 2014, Pages (149-167)

S. Sakthivel, et al., J. Pure Appl. & Ind. Phys. Vol.4 (4), 159-162 (2014)
additional qualities. We examined the
Zirconia ceramic rods with 174.449 youngs
modulus [GPa] was obtained and it also very
close to the reported values.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 XRD Analysis
XRD patterns of prepared Zirconia
Ceramics (ZrO2) thin films on glass substrate
were shown in Figure 1. These XRD
patterns show that prepared ZrO2 has a

161

tetragonal crystal structure. In Figure 1, the

intensities of the Peaks attributed to
(011),(002), (110), (012),(112), (020),(121),
(202) and (004) of ZrO2 appeared, which can
be confirmed by the Powder Diffraction File
(PDF) JCPDS #50-1089. Moreover, the
intensity of the (011) and (002) is the
strongest, indicating that the sample
corresponds to the primitive lattice structure
which belongs to the tetragonal system. The
XRD patterns of thin film samples indicated
that not only the highly oriented and it has
polycrystalline nature.

Fig.1. X-ray diffractogram Zirconia bio ceramic thin film by Sol-gel method

3.2 Morphological analysis

Figure 2: The SEM image of the ceramic Zirconia bio ceramic thin film (a) 2 m (b) 20 m (c) 50 m
Journal of Pure Applied and Industrial Physics Vol.4, Issue 4, 31 October, 2014, Pages (149-167)

162

S. Sakthivel, et al., J. Pure Appl. & Ind. Phys. Vol.4 (4), 159-162 (2014)

Fig. 2 (a-c) shows the scanning

electron microscope (SEM) image of ZrO2.
Powder/ film coated on well cleaned
optically plane glass plate. Fig.2 gives
information about powder/film on glass
almost uniform particle size distributed
throughout the glass plate enlarged at 2 m,
20 m and 20m ranges. The density of the
material more at the center left to right of the
SEM picture. But at the top and bottom of
the picture gives comparatively less density.
For the focusing of close to 50m and 20
m SEM images representing confining the
uniform particle size and uniform
distribution. Fig.2 (a - c) shows ZrO2
ceramic film formation with cluster of grains
forming big particle of size at 500nm.
4. CONCLUSIONS
Bio-inert ZrO2 ceramic materials
that is compatible for biomedical field in
deployment as implants for humans. X- ray
diffraction spectrum of ZrO2 shows a
polycrystalline in nature. Average grain size
of ZrO2 ceramic was obtained 22 - 46 nm.
Scanning electron microscope of ZrO2 gives
a surface morphology was helpful to design
the bio-structure. The measured Youngs
Modulus value of the Zirconia bio ceramic
was 174.449 GPa have highly matched with
standard value. The ZrO2 ceramic films with
cluster of grains are combined together and
forming the big particles of size about 450
nm-1850 nm. Surface morphology of the
ZrO2 ceramic makes it useful in orthopeadic
applications. The analyses of the results
from the cantilever method ZrO2 ceramic
have high mechanical strength. Zirconia is a
biomaterial that has a bright future because
of its high mechanical strength and fracture
toughness. Zirconia-based ceramics has been

increasingly used as implant biomaterials. It

is used as biomaterial has some limitation
such as fatigue failure.
REFERENCES
1. H. Oonishi, H. Aoki, K. Sawai. Bio
ceramics (1998).
2. T.V Thamaraiselvi and S. Rajeswari.
Biological evaluation of bio ceramic
material. Vol 18(1) (2004).
3. D. Muster. Biomaterials hard tissue
repair and replacement, ISBN 0-44488350-9 (1992).
4. J. T. Kim, G. G. Hong, and H. L. Lee,
Properties of the powders of the system
Al2O3-ZrO2 Y2O3 prepared by
precipitation method, Journal of the
Korean Ceramic Society, Vol. 25, pp.
117124, (1988).
5. K. Prabakaran, S. Kannan, and S.
Rajeswari, Development and characterization of Zirconia and hydroxyapatite
composites for orthopaedic applications,
Trends in Biomaterials and Artificial
Organs, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 114116, (2005).
6. J. L. Gole, S.M. Prokes, J. D. Stout, O.
J. Glembocki, and R. Yang, Unique
properties of selectively formed Zirconia
nanostructures, Advanced Materials,
Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 664667, (2006).
7. L.Wang, K. F. Cai, Y. Y.Wang, J. L.
Yin, H. Li, and C.W. Zhou, Preparation
and characterization of tetragonal-ZrO2
nanopowder by a molten hydroxides
method, Ceramics International, Vol.
35, No. 6, pp. 24992501, (2009).
8. K. Krajwski, A.Ravaglioli, M.M.
Belmonte, A. Debenedittis, G.Biagini,
M. Fini, G. Glavarseri, N.N. Aldini, P.
Torricelli, G. Morrone, G. A. Guzzardella,
R. Giardino, Journal of materials science:
materials in medicine, 579-585 (2000).

Journal of Pure Applied and Industrial Physics Vol.4, Issue 4, 31 October, 2014, Pages (149-167)